I appreciate your choice of analogy. Before I can respond, however, there are some details that need to be clarified.

1 Did the child damage some of the plasticine figures? 2. If yes, was it on purpose, just so they would be 'not to his liking'?3. Does each plasticine figure also have an immortal soul? 4. Will there be eternal suffering for the 'recycled' figures? 5. Is the child fully aware of all these facts?6. Does he generally appear to know right from wrong?

What I think depends very much on these details.

[EDIT: Before today, I was able to post directly to this thread. Alas, not any more. How about you?]

It's not for us to ask him anything. The plasticine is his and so he can do whatever he wishes with it. He can choose to give whatever purpose to a figure. He can choose to have a figure with no purpose at all. He can choose to make a figure with no arms infinitly or temporarily. He can then choose to give the same figure arms and wings. The plasticine is his, he's the one working with it, he knows the purpose, we can only claim and assume we know. He qualifies to dictate over the plasticine in any way he chooses.

It's not for us to ask him anything. The plasticine is his and so he can do whatever he wishes with it. He can choose to give whatever purpose to a figure. He can choose to have a figure with no purpose at all. He can choose to make a figure with no arms infinitly or temporarily. He can then choose to give the same figure arms and wings. The plasticine is his, he's the one working with it, he knows the purpose, we can only claim and assume we know. He qualifies to dictate over the plasticine in any way he chooses.

I agree that it would be absurd for me to ask our hypothetical protagonist to explain himself, given that you are the sole author of - and authority on - this thought experiment. And yes, people do act arbitrarily and without reason, sometimes with a lack of empathy that can be truly chilling. Especially young children.

By substituting lifeless objects in place of sentient beings you seem to imply that questions 3 & 4 above are both irrelevant. To me, they make a huge difference.

Maybe it is naive for me to think that 'justice' has something to do with whether the punishment fits the crime. I am guessing that many readers would agree with you that - just as we see in the grubby world of realpolitik - it's really all about who is in charge, and who doles out the punishment. As long as they're one and the the same, then my notion of 'justice' is rendered totally meaningless or, at best, an airy-fairy construct for philosophers and dreamers.

God has the right to remain silent. For His advocates, however, each resigned shrug is a missed opportunity to win new converts.

Are these topics a fair cross-section of what gets everyone fired up in interfaith forums? Do they help convince anyone who isn't already convinced? Where might I find a less dogmatic (and therefore more persuasive) presentation of the case for God/Allah?

God has the right to remain silent. For His advocates, however, each resigned shrug is a missed opportunity to win new converts.

Are these topics a fair cross-section of what gets everyone fired up in interfaith forums? Do they help convince anyone who isn't already convinced? Where might I find a less dogmatic (and therefore more persuasive) presentation of the case for God/Allah?

Mr. Spammer these questions are very fundamental in establishing who Jesus (Alayhi Salaam) was and who God is. If one believes that the Trinity makes sense and Jesus (Alayhi Salaam) said it's OK to eat pigs and that he was crucified then this conflicts with the Islmaic belief and one would label Prophet Muhammad (Salallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) as a false prophet. On the other side of the coin is, of course the opposite, which is that the Holy Qur'an is the Words of God and Prophet Muhammad (SalAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) is the Prophet and Messenger of God Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala. So these crucially makes a difference to people's salvation.

You've been given intellect by Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala but you choose to not to use it and sometimes your intellect is more lacking than a new born baby (not that they lack intellect).

Which trinity are you talking about? Many things were done in threes and could be considered a trinity situation. Trinity of man may interest you.

"Did Jesus ever actually say it's OK to eat pigs?"

There weren't any pigs around at the time so He settled on camels.

"Was he crucified, or beamed up at the last minute?"

Not sure there was an actual beam, but who knows. There was a Roman soldier and a lot of witnesses who said something happened.

Are these topics a fair cross-section of what gets everyone fired up in interfaith forums? Do they help convince anyone who isn't already convinced? Where might I find a less dogmatic (and therefore more persuasive) presentation of the case for God/Allah?

I must be in a low intulechewal spasm as I totally missed what it is you are looking for. Was I wrong to think you may be serious?

[quote] You've been given intellect by Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala but you choose to not to use it and sometimes your intellect is more lacking than a new born baby (not that they lack intellect).

And if He places a veil on my heart and then damns me for not believing, that's entirely His choice. Clearly there has to be some kind of cosmic justice in that which, being veiled, I am just too blind to see.

A real 'Catch-22'. Maybe that's why no-one on this forum has actually come forward and said it.

I do keep bringing it up, I know. You could say it's my 'thing'. Sorry if you find it boring.

Greetings nospam,

I think Muhammad misunderstood the scriptures;

2 Cor 4:2-4,18 (Phi) ... If our gospel is "veiled", the veil must be in the minds of those who are spiritually dying. The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, and prevents the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, the image of God, from shining on them... For we are looking all the time not at the visible things but at the invisible. The visible things are transitory: it is the invisible things that are permanent.

The god of this world

it is the 'god of this world', satan, that has blinded the eyes of the creation, because it is satan that seeks for God's creation to destroy itself.

Let us seek Truth together
Blessed be God forever
"I believe in Jesus as I believe in the sun... not because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else.: - C.S.Lewis

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